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Feb 01 32 Passion for the promise

32_Passion for the promise Gen 29:35 And she conceived again and gave birth to a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children. Gen 37:26 And Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. Gen 38:1 It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2 There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her, 3 and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. 4 She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. 5 Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him. 26 And Judah recognized them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again. St. Augustine, the revered fourth-century theologian, lived a very sinful life as a young man. His mother, Monica, prayed with tears for him. Once she met with Bishop Ambrose, a devout man of God. She implored him, weeping, to intervene with her son. Moved by her unwavering faith, Ambrose spoke: “It is impossible that the son of so many tears shall perish.” Within a year, Augustine came to understand his sin and turned in deep and lifelong repentance to Christ. He spent the rest of his life studying and teaching others the scriptures. Genesis 38 shows Judah, a man who started out in repeated failures but finally ended in agreement with the truth. This chapter, though often considered an interruption in the Joseph narrative, is anything but a digression. Judah, whose name means “praise,” takes a path far removed from his heritage as the fourth son of Jacob and Leah. The chapters of Judah’s life tell a story of missteps, failures, and drifting away from God. It is a vivid, instructive account of human sin and divine grace. It does not cover up the flaws of God’s chosen people, but displays His redemptive purposes. Judah’s journey begins with a departure from his brothers. He then teams up with an Adullamite named Hirah. Corruption often begins when we distance ourselves from godly influences. Away from his family and their covenantal values, Judah married a Canaanite woman. This is a choice that defied the example of his forefathers, who avoided alliances with the idolatrous Canaanites. Judah’s disregard for God’s commands bore bitter fruit. His two sons, Er and Onan, grew up without the fear of God. Their wickedness led to their untimely deaths. Judah’s marriage choice not only affected his life but the character of his offspring. Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, is a pivotal figure in this